Online Geology Textbook
Free online text except on Earthquakes. Online textbook format features several animations and videos on most pages. Written by Edward Tarbuck, Frederick Lutgers, and Dennis Tasa.
News Stories Related to Earthquake Science
There are many articles, videos, etc related to earthquakes on the web. In addition to increasing your own background knowledge, many of these resources could be interesting supplementary reading for students. Use this page accumulate these resources. Most of these links can be copied and pasted directly into your own course wikispace.
Real-Time Quake Detection Seismologists Use Ultrasounds to Assess Quakes Faster
ScienceDaily () -- Using ultrasound imaging, seismologists can now determine the epicenter and magnitude of an earthquake quake within 10 to 20 minutes, precisely imaging which fault ruptured and where the rupture went. The method could help save lives through early earthquake and tsunami warnings. By the end of this year, the U.S.G.S. will be using the method to analyze earthquakes anywhere in the world.
Forecasting Aftershocks - U.S.G.S., Caltech Seismologists Develop Online Tool to Predict Aftershocks
ScienceDaily () -- With a new online map, scientists can better forecast when and where aftershocks may happen. The maps calculate information based on historical earthquake patterns and known behavior of aftershocks. The color-coded map, freely available to the public, gives a more accurate picture than previously available of what to expect in the days and weeks following a major quake.
Quake Network - Seismologists Build Global Listening Posts to Detect Quakes
ScienceDaily () -- In the Global Seismographic Network, 138 networked stations can pick up quake movement and send instant information to computers around the world. The network has passed its first real-world test: Sensors on seismometers worldwide started moving just a few minutes after the December 26, 2004 Sumatran earthquake started.
Predicting Major Weather Disasters - Disaster Experts Map Risk Across the Nation
ScienceDaily () -- Disaster experts including meteorologists and seismologists have identified the types of catastrophic events the United States is most likely to face, quantifying the risk of earthquakes, urban hurricanes, wildfires and major floods.
Earthquake Proof House - Architectural Engineers Design Homes To Withstand Earthquakes
ScienceDaily () -- Engineers have designed windows and walls that will not break when shaken by the intense motion caused by earthquakes. By installing glass panels that do not touch the corners of the frame, researchers increased the drift capacity of the window frame. Adding a gap between the walls and frame allows for some movement, especially when reinforced by "fuses" that connect the two structures.
Earthquake Test: Building Better Homes - Improving Structural Engineering with Earthquake Simulator
ScienceDaily () -- To develop designs that can survive extreme seismic events, and to devise retrofit solutions for older homes, civil engineers who specialize in structural design test realistic models of homes in earthquake simulators. They place the homes on two adjacent shake tables designed to move in three directions, creating realistic earthquake motions. Cameras and accelerometers measure the rate of movement.
Underwater Earthquakes - Geophysicists Discover Slippery Secret Of Weaker Underwater Earthquakes
ScienceDaily () -- Seismologists investigating undersea earthquakes have found that molten rock lubricates faults. This decreases the amount of friction between sides of the fault and decreases the intensity of earthquakes. They also found that the fragmentation of fault lines along the seafloor contributes an earthquake-dampening effect.
Built on Shaky Ground - Exhibit Makes Big One's Risks Tangible
ScienceDaily () -- At San Francisco's Exploratorium, a scaled-down model of the city made with Jell-O helps visitors visualize how the city would shake during a major earthquake. In another display, a bowl filled with wet sand and a mallet shows how shockwaves can cause soil to liquefy, swallowing buildings like quicksand -- a grave threat for many San Francisco neighborhoods that were built on sandy landfill.
Instructional Resources
Online Geology Textbook
Free online text except on Earthquakes. Online textbook format features several animations and videos on most pages. Written by Edward Tarbuck, Frederick Lutgers, and Dennis Tasa.
News Stories Related to Earthquake Science
There are many articles, videos, etc related to earthquakes on the web. In addition to increasing your own background knowledge, many of these resources could be interesting supplementary reading for students. Use this page accumulate these resources. Most of these links can be copied and pasted directly into your own course wikispace.
All Earthquake-related articles on Science Daily
Science Daily provides a constant stream of brief articles about science. This link goes to the search results page for "Earthquakes."
Real-Time Quake Detection Seismologists Use Ultrasounds to Assess Quakes Faster
ScienceDaily () -- Using ultrasound imaging, seismologists can now determine the epicenter and magnitude of an earthquake quake within 10 to 20 minutes, precisely imaging which fault ruptured and where the rupture went. The method could help save lives through early earthquake and tsunami warnings. By the end of this year, the U.S.G.S. will be using the method to analyze earthquakes anywhere in the world.
Forecasting Aftershocks - U.S.G.S., Caltech Seismologists Develop Online Tool to Predict Aftershocks
ScienceDaily () -- With a new online map, scientists can better forecast when and where aftershocks may happen. The maps calculate information based on historical earthquake patterns and known behavior of aftershocks. The color-coded map, freely available to the public, gives a more accurate picture than previously available of what to expect in the days and weeks following a major quake.
Quake Network - Seismologists Build Global Listening Posts to Detect Quakes
ScienceDaily () -- In the Global Seismographic Network, 138 networked stations can pick up quake movement and send instant information to computers around the world. The network has passed its first real-world test: Sensors on seismometers worldwide started moving just a few minutes after the December 26, 2004 Sumatran earthquake started.
Predicting Major Weather Disasters - Disaster Experts Map Risk Across the Nation
ScienceDaily () -- Disaster experts including meteorologists and seismologists have identified the types of catastrophic events the United States is most likely to face, quantifying the risk of earthquakes, urban hurricanes, wildfires and major floods.
Earthquake Proof House - Architectural Engineers Design Homes To Withstand Earthquakes
ScienceDaily () -- Engineers have designed windows and walls that will not break when shaken by the intense motion caused by earthquakes. By installing glass panels that do not touch the corners of the frame, researchers increased the drift capacity of the window frame. Adding a gap between the walls and frame allows for some movement, especially when reinforced by "fuses" that connect the two structures.
Earthquake Test: Building Better Homes - Improving Structural Engineering with Earthquake Simulator
ScienceDaily () -- To develop designs that can survive extreme seismic events, and to devise retrofit solutions for older homes, civil engineers who specialize in structural design test realistic models of homes in earthquake simulators. They place the homes on two adjacent shake tables designed to move in three directions, creating realistic earthquake motions. Cameras and accelerometers measure the rate of movement.
Underwater Earthquakes - Geophysicists Discover Slippery Secret Of Weaker Underwater Earthquakes
ScienceDaily () -- Seismologists investigating undersea earthquakes have found that molten rock lubricates faults. This decreases the amount of friction between sides of the fault and decreases the intensity of earthquakes. They also found that the fragmentation of fault lines along the seafloor contributes an earthquake-dampening effect.
Built on Shaky Ground - Exhibit Makes Big One's Risks Tangible
ScienceDaily () -- At San Francisco's Exploratorium, a scaled-down model of the city made with Jell-O helps visitors visualize how the city would shake during a major earthquake. In another display, a bowl filled with wet sand and a mallet shows how shockwaves can cause soil to liquefy, swallowing buildings like quicksand -- a grave threat for many San Francisco neighborhoods that were built on sandy landfill.